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Union Leader Lobbies for Jobs Measure

By Bernie Becker May 26, 2010 5:13 pmMay 26, 2010 5:13 pm

Republicans and some moderate Democrats on Capitol Hill have expressed concern all week about a package of business tax breaks and aid for the unemployed, pointing out that the measure would add to the deficit.

“Right now, jobs matter more than deficits,” Mr. McEntee said at a news conference at the Capitol. “And even if the deficit is your top concern, imagine what will happen to it if hundreds of thousands more Americans lose their jobs.”

But deficit hawks in Congress remain worried about the roughly $200 billion package, which only has about a third of its costs offset.

“It’s a large number, and it’s an uncomfortable number,” Senator Ben Nelson, the Nebraska Democrat, said recently about the billions of dollars the measure would tack on to the deficit.

As it stands, it’s far from certain that both the House and the Senate will pass the measure before the Memorial Day recess. Representative Chris Van Hollen, a Maryland Democrat, said at the Wednesday news conference that the two chambers were working together to find common ground and that House leaders were determined to pass the bill by week’s end.

“Obviously when you’re working with two bodies and trying to get everybody on the same page, it takes a little time,” Mr. Van Hollen said. “And that’s what we’ve been focused on. Getting some assurances from those in the Senate that when we pass this legislation, it will pass the Senate.”

President Obama drew criticism on Thursday when he said, “we don’t have a strategy yet,” for military action against ISIS in Syria. Lawmakers will weigh in on Mr. Obama’s comments on the Sunday shows.Read more…